Bed or similar body resting appliance



April 10, 1945. A. w. SCHENKER 2,373,421

( BED 0h SIMILAR BQDY RESTING APPLIANCE Filed June 19, 1941 a Sheets-Sheet 1 4770/?NEY April 1945. A. w. SCHENKER 2,373,421

BED 0R SIMILAR BODY RESTING APPLIANCE Filed June 19, 1941 :s SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR. flBEAHAA l l/V. SCHENKEH BY W A TTOE/VEY.

April 10, 1945. A. w. SCHENKER 2,373,421

BED OR SIMILAR BODY REST'ING APPLIANCE Fil'ed June 19, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Ami/14M W. jfl/f/V/ffk W 4 T TOE/V5) INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 10, 1945 BED R SIMILAR BODY RESTING APPLIANCE Abraham W. Schenker, New. York, 'N .12, assignor .of one-half to 'William Bierman, New York Application June 19, 1941,-Serial No. 398,798

Claims. (01. 5-244) My invention relates generally to therapeutic appliances. More particularly my invention is concerned with an improved construction for a bed or'similar body resting appliance designedpfor therapeutic application to complaints referred to the human bonyframe.

Persons suffering from spinal or other bony ailments especially backache due to the arthritides, spon'dylitis, spondylolisthesis, eta, heretofore assumed that if they provided-themselves with thick soft mattresses upon which to sleep they would obtain relief from such ailments and subsequent cure. Such treatment is now known actually to produce directly contrary. results, thereby aggravating their complaints instead. In accordance with my invention, I take cognizance of the fact that in treating back ailments there are certain .naturalconcavities and convexities of the spine which should be rigidly supported in conformity with such natural shape and that in certain pathological conditions it is desirable that the concavities Land convexities be made shallower.

It is therefore one of the principal objects of my invention to provide an improved bed, chair,

or similar body resting appliancehaving arelatively hard or non-yielding surface which has been reformed with waves of predetermined contour with respect to the curvature of selected portions of the posterior aspect of the body of the user including the shoulders, spine and legs, in which the said hard preformed surface is resiliently supported to provide additional comfort to the user.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved body resting appliance of the character described which is adapted to be mounted upon the standard type of bed spring, hospital bed frame, or upon any other standard type of bed, couch or reclining chair.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved bed or similar body resting appliance of the class described which shall be so designed that the same appliance'may be used for-different patients having difierentsp inal 'or other body curvatures or in which the contour ofthe bed surface may be altered to suit the therapeutic needs of the person under treatment.

Further objects of my invention will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along "the longitudinal axis of a bed or similar body resting appliance constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrating the manner of its use;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof with certain portions broken awayto disclosethe construction thereof; V 2

o Resting upon the horizontal legs 1+4 and I Za Fig. 3 is across-sectional"view'taken substantially on the line3- 3 of Fig.1;

Fig. '4 is a viewxsimilarto .Fig. 1 but tra-tin-g a modified form of construction;

Fig. 5 is a "cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line ii-s5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is :a longitudinal sectional view similar to Figs. 1 and 4, but illustrating :still another modified form of "my invention;

Fig. 7 is a topplan view thereof with portions broken away to disclose the construction'there'o'f;

' Fig. dis a cross-sectional view taken ."substantially. on the .line8--'-B"0f Fig. '6;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic 'viewwof the human back to illustrate a modified form of construction of my invention;

Figs. 10 and .11 are fragmentary 'ClOSS-ESBCti'OIlfll views similar to Fig. 1, but taken alongpoints parallel tonand on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis; and

Fig. 12 isla fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 12-42 of Fig. 2,

being similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating thezmo'dified'form of construction shown in Figs. 9 toll.

Referring-now in detail :to .Figs. 1,2 andx3 of the drawings I have shown a bed or similar body resting appliance l0 specifically designed for therapeutic treatment of back ailments and which is also adapted for use. byall persons who desire to obtain complete relaxation.

The said appliance Ill may comprise arigid supporting frame made up of :a pair oflongitudinal rails 11 and transverse rails llv joined in any suitable manner known to the art. The said rails l I and 12 may 'be' angle members havinghorizontal legs Ila and l2w respectively and vertical legs lib and l2b-respectivelyyas-shown, or the aid rails-may be made of wood or any other suitable material.

at each of the four corners of the supporting frame I provide a rigid springfhousing member i5. Each of the said members may comprise bottom andtop horizontal walls ligand 15h fespectively, interconnected by vertical walls and 15d. A suitable coil spring His interposed between the top andgbottom walls 15a and; 15b. The said spring l1;may thus be 'underany desired degree of tensionto satisfy the needs of the invention. Y 1 I .Resiliently supported by the springs I1 1' provide the following construction for formingv a rigidbody supporting member.

A plurality .of longitudinal members'zla, 2H; and 2=lc of "metallic or other suitableirigid material are longitudinally wavedor'curved con-- the treatment. Overlying the members 2Ia, 2")

and 2 I there is placed a flat sheet 25 of relatively rigid material such as, for example, sheet steel, fibre, etc. which is forced into conformity with the waves and curves of the members 2Ia, 2Ib and 2Ic and then permanently attached thereto by any well known attaching means such as riveting, etc., or spot welding, as shown. The body supporting member constructed as explained is then interposed between the tops of the'springs I I and the top walls Ib of the "spring housings I5.

It is thus seen from the above description that I have provided a rigid body supporting member in which the desired concavities and convexities, in conformity with the body of the user, are unyieldingly'maintained at all times and which at the same time permits resilient yielding of the entire body support as a whole. In-this manner I have been able to overcome some of .the disadvantages inxthe types of body resting members heretofore in use, by providing additional comfort to the personundergoing treatment, and at the same time rendering the appliance of my invention highly efficient. by unyieldingly supporting those portions of the body which it is desirable to support.

The lower supporting frame comprising the rigid rails II and I2 may rest upon any floor surface or it maybe so designed that it will rest upon the standard typeof hospital or other bed frame.

If desired, a relatively thin soft pad or mat 26 may be employed over therigid sheet 25 to prevent intimate contact of thebody therewith. I

While in the Figs. '1 to 3 form of my invention I have shown the hard unyielding body supporting surface as being formed from a sheet of metallic or similar material, it is understood that the said sheet may be molded from any suitable type of moldable material which hardens and retains its rigidity and shape. In this latter case thelongitudinal members ZIa, ZIb and.2Ic may be dispensed with. V.

While inthe drawings I have shown the member as being supported by four coil springs II disposed at the corners of the lower frame, it is understood that any other number of springs of any desired type and positioned at other points or in combination with shock absorbers may be used and that my-invention extends to such use.

In Figs. 4' and 5 of the drawings I have illus trated a modified form of my-invention in which the body supporting member may be constructed as an independent unit designed to be used in connection with any suitable type of bed having the customarysprings which are utilized for the purpose of furnishing a resilient support for the body supporting unit. I

In this form of my invention I provide a rectangular frame comprising the longitudinal rails 30 and transverse rails 3|, which may be made of any suitable material such as wood, steel or the like. Instead of thestrips 2Ia, 2Ib and 2Ic the top edges of the rails 30 may be shaped to a contour having longitudinal waves and curves in conformity with the posterior aspect ofthe body of the user. An unyielding body supporting sheet 33, similar in materialand function to that of the sheet 25, may then be forced to conform to the contour of the top edges of the rails 30 and attached thereto and to the rails 3I in any suitable and well known manner.- Ifdesired an additional center rail 34 may be employedto provide added support for the sheet 33. Such rail 34 may be similar to the longitudinal} rails -30 or it may be formed nfrom a bar as 'shown similar to the bars 2 I, and attached at the ends thereof to the top edges of the transverse rails 3I. The body supporting unit just described may be made of such size as to fit over the springs S of the usual bed to provide a resilient support. If it is desired to prevent the springs S from directly contactively engaging the undersurface of the sheet 33, there may be provided a rigid ledge comprising the flange members 35 fixed to the rails 30 and 3| and adapted to rest upon the top of the said springs S, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

After a certain period of treatment of the patient it may become desirable to alter the curvature of the body support or 30. In such case new bars Zia, 2 I b and 2 I 0 may be formed with the desired changes of curvature and a new sheet 25 or or the same ones, may then be attached to the new bars 2Ia, 2Ib and 2Ic and the new supports 25 or 30 again placed in proper position upon the springs I1.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8 I have illustrated a modified form of my invention by means of which the above described alteration of the curvature may be readily effected, and in which the same appliance may be adapted for use by many persons having different body curvatures.

In this form of my invention, instead of the angle rails II and I 2 I provide a pair of longitudinal rails 411 and a pair of transverse rails 4| suitably joined to form a rigid frame F. The size of the frame F may be such that it will fit on the supporting frame of the standard type of hospital bed or any of the other standard types of beds indicated by the dotted lines A in Fig. 8, or it may rest upon the springs of any bed, as in Figs. 4 and 5. To maintain the frame F in proper position on the bed frame A, there may be provided a series of plates 42 fixed to the inner surfaces of the rails 40 and depending downwardly therefrom to prevent lateral or longitudinal displacement of the frame F.

Each of the rails 40 is provided with parallel vertical rows of apertures 45 spaced from each other a predetermined distance, the apertures 45 in one rail 40 corresponding to and being in alignment with the apertures 45 in the other rail 40. Through each aligned pair of apertures there is adapted to be inserted a rigid unyielding rod 46 to be disposed substantially parallel to the transverse rails 4 I.

In using the appliance above described, the posterior curvature of the body of the patient may first be plotted by a suitable posture measuring device, after which a gauge or templet may be made ofthe plotted curve. This gauge may then be used for placing the rods 46 in the proper pairs of aligned apertures 45 so that they may be arranged in conformity with the curvature of the body of the user, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

Overlying the rods 46 I place a sheet 50 ofplastic material, flexible, yet relatively rigid, or material of the nature of fibre, so that the user will not be obliged to feel the individual rods 46 pressinginto his body. If desired the patient may lie directly on the sheet 50 or upon a mat or pad similar to the pad 26 placed over the fibre sheet It is thus seen from the above described construction that when it is desired to alter th curvature of the body support it is merely necessary to remove certain selected rods 46 from their apertures 45 and to replace them in other selected apertures 45. It is also noted that when the frame comprising the rails 40 and 4| is mounted on a spring of the type shown in Figs; 4 and 5, a

as lateral curvatures.

resilient support for the unyielding body support is provided.

To maintain the rods 46 against axial displacement, I provide each rod 46 with an enlarged head 46a at one end thereof and at the opposite end with a rotatably mounted extension 461), the latter being so designed that when it is disposed at right angles to the axis of the rod 56, the said rod will be in locked position, as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. To remove the rod from its locked position it is merely necessary to rotate the extension 36b until it is axially aligned with the rod 46 after which the rod may be slidably removed from th apertures 45.

While in Figs. 1 to 8 of the drawings I have illustrated the construction of the body supporting appliance of my invention in connection with the longitudinal curvature of the back, it is understood that my invention also contemplates a construction in which the body supporting sheets and may be made to conform to the. entire posterior aspect of the back, longitudinal as well shown one 'way in which this may be done.

Instead of forming the longitudinal members 2 la, 2 lb and 2 to of similar contour, I preform the member Zla in accordance with the posterior aspect of the back as measured substantially along the line C-D of Fig. 9. The longitudinal member Zia will then appear as in Fig. 11. The longitudinal member 210 is preformed in accordance with the posterior aspect of the back, as measured substantially along the line E-F of Fig. 9. The longitudinal member 2lc will then appear as in Fig. 10. The centrally disposed longitudinal member 21?), is preformed in accordance with the posterior aspect of the back as measured substantially along the line |AB of Fig. 9. The longitudinal member 2lb will therefore appear as in Fig. l of the drawings.

It is thus seen that the longitudinal members Zla, 2|b and 210 may be of different curvatures and that when the sheet 25 is made to conform to the curvatures of the said preformed members Zla, Eli) and lie there will be provided a body resting appliance in which the body issupported in conformity with the posterior aspect of the entire back, both longitudinal and lateral. While in the drawings I have shown the use of three londitudinal members, any number of longitudinal members may be employed, each curved in accordance with a predetermined line of measurement along the back.

While in the drawings, I have illustrated my invention as applied to a bed appliance, it is noted that my invention may also be satisfactorily applied to other similar devices wherein a person may rest in a semi-reclined or in a sitting position, such as, for example, a chair. I

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation of my invention, together with apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiments thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more and the invention extends to such use.

In Figs. 9 to 12 I have general results outlined,

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bed or similar body resting appliance of the class described the combination of a hollow rectangular frame, a body supporting sheet of unyielding material having permanently formed longitudinal waves and curves of predetermined contour with respect to the spine and back of a particular user, means for supporting said body supporting sheet in said frame, said last named means comprising means for maintaining said waves and curves in their designed shape at all times, and spring means for supporting said frame.

2. In a bed or similar body resting appliance of the class described, the combination of a hollow frame of substantially rectangular contour I comprising longitudinal rails and transverse rails,

said longitudinal rails being provided with a plu rality of series of aligned apertures, body supporting means supported by said frame, said body supporting means comprising a plurality of rigidrod members selectively received in corresponding pairs of aligned apertures in a predetermined longitudinal arrangement with respect to the longitudinal waves and curvatures of the body of the person resting on said body supportin means, and a sheet of relatively rigid material overlying said rod members and curved in conformity with said predetermined arrangement of waves and curves.

3. For use in combination with a standard type bed spring, a body supporting unit comprising a hollow rectangular frame adapted to fit over said bed spring, a sheet of unyielding material permanently provided with waves and curves of predetermined contour with respect to the spine and back of a particular user, and means for supporting said sheet by said frame, said last named means including means for maintaining said waves and curves in their designed shape at all times.

4. In a bed or similar body resting appliance of the class described, a member for supporting a body in supine position comprising a plurality of longitudinal members of unyielding material and a sheet of relatively rigid material overlying said longitudinal members, each of said longitudinal members being formed with waves and curves in accordance with the posterior aspect of a different portion of the body, said sheet being curved to conform to the waves and curves of said longitudinal members whereby to provide a support in conformity with the posterior aspect of the user in a longitudinal as well as a lateral direction.

5. In a bed or similar body resting appliance of the class described, a member for supporting a body in supine position comprising a plurality of longitudinal members of unyielding material and a sheet of relatively rigid material overlying said longitudinal members, each of said longitudinal members being formed with waves and curves in accordance with the posterior aspect of a different portion of the body, said sheet being curved to conform to the waves and curves of said longitudinal members whereby to provide a support in conformity with the posterior aspect of the user in a longitudinal as well as a lateral direction, and means for resiliently supporting said body supporting member.

ABRAHAM W. SCHENKER. 

